


Severed Ties

by KnightOn



Category: BioShock, BioShock Infinite
Genre: Blood, Burns, Cognitive Dissonance, Drabble, Hospitalization, Nosebleed, Self-Harm, Some Fluff, Some depictions of violence, not enough to be graphic i think, robert is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 11:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1467229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightOn/pseuds/KnightOn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something has gone terribly amiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Severed Ties

A bond had been severed, that much was certain. Something had gone terribly amiss, in Robert's universe. One of the many strings in the universe had come undone, or perhaps been cut, and now Robert and Rosalind were no longer a part of one another, but were separate, growing even further apart with every passing moment. Robert fell terribly ill, hemorrhaging again like he did when he first crossed over. It became such trouble to keep him locked away for safety that Rosalind had no choice but to bring him to a local hospital, that gave him accusing looks at first for his Irish appearance but accepted him anyway, simply because he was her brother.

Rosalind sat near his hospital bedside, only able to watch as he descended further and further into illness. Some days he was able to get up, and was as cheery as ever - and some days he fell due to painful spells of vertigo. One day he hit his head as he fell and cut his forehead right open. But when he awoke after his fall he laughed it off all the same. Now he went everywhere with gauze pressed to his forehead and surgical tape wrapped around his head. But he just kept smiling, telling her everything was going to be alright, that they would find a way to bind the severed string, just like the nurses bound his head.

But she had doubts in his optimism. She wasn't sure they would ever be whole again. And she knew he could see right through her false approval of his ideals. So the game went on, where she urged him to rest when all he wanted was to feel like himself again, too much like a fire's light being smothered.

She did so much without him now, and she got along well enough. But he hated being a thought shoved to the back of her mind. Sometimes it would be too much for him. One night she walked into his hospital bedroom to find him playing with fire, pushing his hand into the flame. She grabbed him and demanded he stop; but he cried out, claiming that he just wanted to feel something again. He wanted to feel pain because it would remind him that he was still alive.

And even with her attempts to get him to stop, he continued to try. He burned himself on candles, hot water; even bulbs, new as they were. Eventually there was almost nothing in his cramped little room.

With each passing day it became more obvious how much he hated this new life. But he said nothing to Rosalind; he knew how all of this was stressful on her. And it was better that he was kept inside the hospital walls. As much as he missed his home with Rosalind, it was too dangerous.

However, a longing for the outside was kept burning inside him. He had but one window in his room and he could barely see out of it from bed. Some days he would wake up to the sounds of birds chirping and whimper at the idea of not being able to leave this sanitary hell.

And then, finally, they let him go. Back home with Rosalind. But nothing had been uncovered about the fracture in time and space that was causing him such pain.

That night, she helped him into bed with a sad look sprawled across his face. Before she left the room to continue her research on the topic, he grabbed her arm. She turned to look at him, his sorrowful form.

"Please," he begged, "I miss you."

**Author's Note:**

> This is pretty loosely based on a dream I had the other day, where I was in the place of Robert. It stuck with me for quite a while so I thought I'd write it out.
> 
> (Also, if anything was possibly triggering, please do let me know and I am very sorry!)


End file.
